


Lessons in Life, Love, and Space-time

by Starshot



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blow Jobs, Fluff and Angst, I mean what even happened here, I sure as hell don't know, KakaObi Week 2019, M/M, Obito is not immune, everyone wants to see under Kakashi's mask, happy endings, kamui shenanigans, screw canon, then it sucker punched me right in the feels, this went from crack to angst so fast I got whiplash, trapped together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 08:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17679536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshot/pseuds/Starshot
Summary: Practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes. But it turns out Kakashi could use a bit more. Especially when the new technique he’s been perfecting leads him somewhere very unexpected, to a different kind of lesson entirely...But sometimes, you've just got to get out of your trash bin to get things done.Obito certainly doesn't seem to be complaining about it.





	Lessons in Life, Love, and Space-time

The tree bark is rough against Kakashi’s back, with rippled uneven ridges that grate his thighs as he stretches them along the branch. Dappled sunlight casts dancing shadows onto the ground below, the lazy hum of cicadas filling the air as he glances at the open book in front of him. It’s an old favourite, dog-eared and worn, but he never gets sick of reading it.

This summer has been quiet. Abnormally so; as much as the sweltering sticky days that have sapped the will of the leadership to engage in the usual clandestine scuffles that characterise shinobi life. ANBU missions have been few and far between of late, and every opportunity he gets, Kakashi retreats to the relative cool of the forest to enjoy some well-deserved peace and quiet.

But today his relaxation is cut short by a green blur that slides to a noisy halt beneath the tree. ‘Eternal rival!’ it yells cheerfully.

Kakashi glances down, slipping his thumb between the pages of his book and half-closing it. ‘Gai,’ he says, feeling just the slightest twinge of annoyance at the interruption.

‘What are you doing up there my friend?’ Gai asks, shielding his eyes and squinting upwards.

Briefly, Kakashi waves the book at him, careful to ensure the nondescript back cover faces down. ‘Just reading a little training material. Ninja techniques and such. You know how it is.’

‘Ninja techniques? Training in secret? Oh ho, I see what’s going on here,’ Gai declares, voice booming as he levels a finger at Kakashi.

‘What’s that?’

Gai grins. ‘You mean to beat me with a new and super-secret technique!’

Kakashi keeps his expression carefully composed. Whatever super-secret techniques he might learn from Icha Icha, he doubts very much they’ll ever come in handy in battle. Not that Gai needs to know that.

‘Maa, you’re right,’ he concedes, smiling in reassurance. ‘Just trying to get ahead of our next competition.’

‘A wise decision my friend!’ Gai puffs out his chest, hands on hips. ‘But of course, what sort of rival would I be if I let you do that unchallenged?’

Unchallenged? Kakashi frowns.

But before he can ask, Gai launches himself upward, vaulting from trunk to branch to trunk to land right behind Kakashi’s shoulder, fingers reaching toward the book.

Logically, Kakashi panics.

Of course it’s not the first time he’s been caught reading porn in public - after all, it’s not like he makes a secret of his choice in literature. But for it to happen after he’s claimed he’s studying, and by Gai of all people… Kami, he’ll never hear the end of it.

Fumbling to stuff the book inside his vest, it slips from his grasp, falling to the mossy ground with a soft whump. For the longest second in eternity Kakashi watches as Gai’s eyes trace the book’s path. Then with an alarmingly eager grin, the other man throws himself after it.

 _Damn_.

Gai’s faster than Kakashi at the best of times, let alone with a head start. There’s nothing else for it. Kakashi will have to use _that_ technique.

Pushing up his hitai-ate, he feels the surge of chakra to Obito’s eye. It’s still hard to control and it drains him something awful, but it’s better than Gai seeing what’s in that book. Kakashi doesn’t want to be responsible for his innocent youthfulness being permanently scarred.

Focusing intently on the novel, he sees it beginning to sweep into the tell-tale swirl of the technique. For a second he even feels satisfied. His control really has come along.

But something feels wrong.

Gai looks up at him, face falling, and calls something out. But it’s the most curious sensation… Kakashi can’t hear what he’s saying anymore. The world around him seems to changing, stretching and blurring in a peculiar manner, like ripples on water. With a sickening lurch his stomach drops out from beneath him, there’s a rush of cold, and he finds himself dumped on a hard slab of something, breathless and exhausted from overuse of chakra.

As his breathing gradually slows, Kakashi looks around himself. He seems to be in some kind of strange space built entirely of rectangular blocks of varying sizes, haphazardly arranged into an uneven floor. It’s lit with an eerie blueish half-light, the source of which isn’t immediately clear. It seems to be everywhere and nowhere all at once, which is ominous.

Attuning his senses, he searches for chakra, for _anything_. But there’s nothing. The space is completely empty.

The only logical conclusion then, is that he’s accidently travelled to an entirely different place. Dimension even, maybe. He did have his suspicions about where all that stuff he was practicing on was going, but it seemed too far fetched to be true. And as long as it came back out again, it didn’t really seem to matter. He’d never even stopped to think he could send himself with it.

Probably should have really, because now he doesn’t have the chakra to get himself back, even if he could figure out how. Apparently it takes a lot more effort to transport a person here than a smutty novel.

Which speaking of…

Kakashi finds his eye drawn to a small collection of things nestled against one of the pillars. The oranges he was practicing with yesterday are here, along with a change of clothes, some kunai, and a small stack of novels. So that’s where it had all been going. Naturally, as soon as he’d figured out how to get things back out of the technique, he’d found it a useful place to store stuff, away from prying eyes.

Sitting down with his back against the wall, Kakashi carefully peels an orange, pulling down his mask and popping the first segment into his mouth. With a quiet sigh he reaches for a book. Might as well make the most of his time here until his chakra recovers enough to find a way out.

***

Konan stares at him with obvious distaste. ‘Of course Madara- _sama_.’

The sarcasm in her voice doesn’t escape Obito. Behind the mask he scowls. It’s becoming increasingly obvious he’s going to need to teach her a lesson about who’s in charge sooner or later.

‘Just see it’s done,’ he orders.

For a moment the woman looks at him like she might argue, but wisely, she doesn’t say anything.

It’s then he feels it – a small burst of chakra.

_For fuck’s sake, not again!_

There’s not enough time to dodge before a small book hits the side of his head and bounces off, landing on the floor with an embarrassingly obvious thud.  

That’s the fifth time this week.

Snarling, Obito scoops it up, not failing to catch the bemused expression on Konan’s features, or her snort of amusement. Of course she would find this entertaining. Last time it was a glass of sake which had drenched him in the middle of an important Akatsuki meeting. And before that a Konoha chuunin vest had come out of nowhere and covered his head in the middle of a fight.

The other members think it’s hilarious – idiotic Tobi’s secret technique backfiring on him at inopportune moments – but Konan is different. With her it’s a sign of weakness. And that’s something Obito can’t allow.

‘Interesting taste you have in literature…’ she murmurs, staring pointedly at the novel in his hand.

Obito glances at the cover – featuring a picture of a man running after a scantily clad woman. Cheeks burning, he stuffs it quickly into his cloak.

‘It’s not mine.’

It had to be fucking Hatake. No one else could possibly have access to the Kamui dimension. But what the _fuck_ did he think he was doing, storing his… his, _porn,_ in Obito’s personal space?

‘I’m sure,’ Konan says, clearly convinced of the opposite.

‘Just go and do your job,’ Obito snaps, pulling himself together and activating Kamui. This is really the last thing he needs happening in the presence of someone who would happily stab him in the back given half the chance. But as he lands on his feet amid Kamui’s pillars with practiced ease, Obito immediately knows something’s wrong. There’s a chakra signature here. One that’s unmistakeable.

But _he’s_ not meant to be able to get in here.

***

Kakashi’s on his feet so quickly he doesn’t have time to fix his mask. Orange in one hand, book positioned over his bare face with the other he stares in astonishment at the figure that’s just materialised. How?

Upon seeing him the figure tenses, eye narrowing behind the strange orange mask over its face. Then it – _he_ – pulls a book from within his cloak and brandishes it at Kakashi, rounding on him in obvious anger.

‘What the fuck is this?’

‘I…’ Kakashi stammers, frowning as his attention is drawn by the distinctive red cloud pattern on the cloak. Wasn’t Jiraiya just saying something about that last week? The word _Akatsuki_ pops into mind for some reason. Along with ‘dangerous’, and ‘wanted’, and ‘criminals’.

‘You can’t just store your shit in _my_ dimension!’ the man is nearly yelling.

Dimension? So his suspicions were correct after all, and this man seems to know something about it. Which could make him useful, assuming he were inclined to help. Although the way he’s carrying on right now that seems unlikely.

Quickly, Kakashi considers his options. He can’t escape – doesn’t know how even if he had the chakra for it. There are weapons here, but he’s uncertain what the capabilities of his assailant are, and in his present state it’s best not to resort to combat unless it’s absolutely necessary. No, the best option is to hope he can defuse the situation by talking, and use the man’s apparent knowledge to find a way out of here.

Keeping the book firmly over his mouth, Kakashi speaks. ‘Maa, I’m very sorry. I wasn’t aware this place belonged to you, and I’m really only here by accident so if you could just-’

The man’s visible eye narrows. ‘Wait,’ he interrupts loudly, like he hasn’t been listening at all, ‘Are you… covering your mouth with that thing?’

He cranes his head to one side, trying to see, and Kakashi moves the book to block his view. ‘No.’

‘You are!’ he says, shifting back the other way. 

Again Kakashi moves the book, wondering why anyone who doesn’t know him would even care. Certainly people who did were often curious, but an enemy ninja should have better things to worry about. Like in this man’s case, how Kakashi was even here, in what he claims is another dimension.

But with unexpected speed he lunges forward, managing to get one hand on the book which he tries to wrench away, while Kakashi holds him off with the only thing he has on hand – a half-eaten orange. It hits the man’s mask with a wet smack, and something in him seems to snap. With renewed vigour he tackles Kakashi to the ground.

‘Just let me…’

‘No.’

‘Let go of it!’

‘Not happening.’

They roll over several times, with Kakashi briefly gaining the upper hand before the unknown assailant wrestles him back down, tugging at the book in frustration.

‘Dammit Bakakashi, just let me see!’

Something in Kakashi blanks.

 _Bakakashi_.

The only person to ever call him that…

_Oh shit._

It can’t be.

But he’s _here_ isn’t he, in the dimension apparently linked to Kakashi’s eye? How else if not…

‘Obito?’ he says hesitantly, searching what he can see of the man’s face.

Astride Kakashi’s hips, the man falls still. But the accusatory glare in his sharingan-red eye is all the proof Kakashi needs.

‘It is you, isn’t it?’ he asks, beginning to feel faint.

The man sits back, obviously frustrated. ‘Yes,’ he snaps, pulling the mask off and casting it to one side, ‘Of course it’s me.’

Kakashi’s mouth drops open, because Obito is _beautiful_. He’s grown into the dark aristocratic features of the clan better than Kakashi could ever have imagined, with high cheekbones, a regal bearing and no hint of the baby fat he had as a child. This Obito is lean and muscled, and just a perfect tapestry of scars…

He reaches his fingers up to touch them, because they’re _his_ – he knows without asking. On the same side as the boulder Obito saved him from, and he should be dead but he’s not…

They pull as Obito smiles, stretching like creased fabric, and Kakashi’s heart feels like it’s overflowing. But there’s something vaguely smug about the grin and he only figures out what it is when his former teammate waggles a book in his immediate line of sight.

‘Gotcha.’

Suddenly Kakashi realises his fingers are limp and empty, and Obito’s staring at the bottom half of his face with curiosity. And… something else…

***

It’s the first time Obito’s ever seen Kakashi with his mask off, despite all their years together. His face is slender and elegant, tapering to a fine point at the chin, with surprisingly full rosy lips that Obito has the sudden urge to brush his fingers across to check if they’re as soft as they look.

He ignores the unexpected rush of feeling, firmly refusing to acknowledge it exists.

Regardless, the more he looks the more he can’t help but think Kakashi really is perfect. A beautiful whole greater than the sum of his individual parts. Flawless almost - save for the tiny, barely noticeable, beauty mark beside his upper lip. That’s what he was hiding all these years? Obito nearly snorts in derision. Only Kakashi would consider that a flaw worth hiding.

The way his former teammate is looking at him is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. It’s like he’s seen a ghost, or a long-forgotten memory. Like he’s not really certain if this is reality or a dream.

His hand curls around Obito’s thigh, fingers digging painfully into the flesh as though to reassure himself Obito’s really there, or maybe just make sure he isn’t going to leave again. Every emotion seems openly written on his face; betrayed by the quivering unsteady line of his lips, and gently surprised arch to his brows. The way he’s blinking just slightly more than he needs to, soft grey eyes reflecting the stark blank emptiness of Kamui around them.

Is the idiot actually getting emotional over this?

‘But… how?’ Kakashi whispers unsteadily, trailing his fingers over Obito’s scarred cheek.

And Obito knows he shouldn’t allow it, he really _shouldn’t_ , but the touch is so warm and inviting and gentle, and it’s been so many years since anyone _cared_ …

‘That’s not important,’ he says coldly.

If he can’t bring himself to put physical space between them, he can at least reject whatever this feeling is – this emotion threatening to break through the walls he’s spent so many years carefully building between himself and the world.

But Kakashi seems determined not to let him. He’s tracing the lines of Obito’s face now – brows, lips, nose and jaw - with a touch so gentle it seems almost reverent. ‘It is to me,’ he insists, sounding slightly choked. ‘I thought you were dead. For so many years I thought I had failed you…’

‘You did fail me,’ Obito growls, and suddenly _she’s_ there with them - between them - though neither of them have mentioned her name.

Kakashi looks down, guilt etched all over his face. ‘I’m sorry,’ he says.

It’s the admission Obito has always wanted to hear, but somehow it’s not as satisfying as he thought it would be. Instead, there’s something else stirring in his chest, something urging him to reach out to Kakashi. After all, it had to be hard for him too, losing everyone he cared about…

For a split second Obito feels his fingers twitch forward, and in shock he curls them firmly into a fist. _No_. That’s enough. He’s not going to let himself feel sorry for stupid Bakakashi. Not in this sad, pointless reality. It’s time to leave now, before he does anything stupid.

The familiar cloak of kamui begins to swirl around him, bringing with it the whisper of the outside world. He focuses on Ame, feeling the gentle tug as it pulls him back to-

Everything stops.

No chakra, no Ame - nothing. Just dim light and jumbled blocks, and the man beneath him, breathing heavily as his left eye slides closed.

Confused, Obito tries again.

Nothing. Not so much as the barest whisper of the outside.

Grabbing Kakashi by the shoulders, Obito shakes him roughly. ‘What did you do?’

Kakashi just breathes a resigned sigh, allowing Obito to handle him like a rag doll. Like he doesn’t even care to resist anymore. ‘I didn’t want you to leave.’

With a snarl of frustration, Obito shoves him to the floor and gets to his feet. He should just kill Kakashi and take his eye back. Whatever the bastard’s done, surely it can be undone with two eyes in his possession. ‘ _Are you sure about that though?’_ a small voice in his head asks.

 _No..._ Not sure _enough_ anyway.

And if there’s anything more frustrating then not being able to kill Kakashi, it’s the knowledge that they’re now trapped here, _together_.

In a fit of anger Obito stomps away from his ex-teammate, pausing only to kick over the small pile of his smutty books on the way.

Serves him right.

***

Obito’s been pacing for about an hour now, back and forth like a caged animal. Every so often he stops to glance at Kakashi with an unmistakably pissed look, then resumes his agitated movement.

It’s the only interaction they’ve had, save for shortly after his thwarted escape attempt, when Obito asked once more what Kakashi had done, and he confirmed, _again_ , that he really didn’t know. So Obito had slammed him angrily against one of the pillars, yelling about how he’d ruined everything.

What he means by ‘everything’ though, Kakashi doesn’t know. He’s still struggling with the idea that Obito’s been alive this whole time. Alive and working for Akatsuki apparently. Although how, and why, are eating away at him.

‘Obito,’ he tries for about the tenth time, ‘Why don’t you sit down? We could talk.’

The response is a predictably angry glare. ‘I have nothing to say to _you_.’

Oh well. It was worth a try.

Thirteen years Kakashi has spent mourning Obito. Thirteen years of empty sentiment whispered to uncaring stone, of countless flowers that wither and die before their time, of choked apologies in the dead of night, and happiness forfeit to the creeping guilt of failure… So now that he’s found Obito, all he knows is that he doesn’t want to let him go. It’s like the world has shifted and refocused around him, and even though Obito was always at the centre of it – ‘ _those who abandon their friends are worse than trash_ ’ – he was merely the cornerstone, the dreamlike ideal that Kakashi built himself around.

But for Obito to actually be alive… changes everything.

An unfamiliar feeling takes root in Kakashi’s chest, light, effervescent and heady. Maybe he failed his teammates before; but he’s not going to let it happen again. He has a second chance now - with Obito at least - and there’s no doubt in his mind Rin and Minato-sensei would want him to take it.

It’s that resolve and a kind of pig-headed determination that leads him to grasp Obito’s wrists, forcing him back against a pillar. ‘ _Talk_ to me Obito,’ he demands.

‘No,’ Obito snarls, struggling.

He’s bigger, stronger, and less tired than Kakashi, and it shows. Working one hand free, he slaps it sharply across Kakashi’s face. The result stings, raw and broken, but Kakashi’s not willing to give up that easily. Pathetically he clings to Obito, wrapping arms around his neck, and hooking his legs behind the other man’s, so he can’t move without taking Kakashi with him.

‘Get off me trash!’

Determinedly, Kakashi holds on. ‘I might be trash, but I’m not leaving you this time,’ he insists.

Their bodies are pressed together tightly, heated and taut, faces the barest distance apart. Obito’s might be a picture of rage, but his eyes are on Kakashi’s, bright and full of emotion. There’s so much of it between them – anger, love, betrayal, regret – an entire litany of feeling Kakashi couldn’t begin to catalogue if he tried, all bleeding into each other, utterly overwhelming.

It’s more than he’s felt in a long time. Years even. There’s just so much he wants to say, _needs_ to say, but no words that can put right his many mistakes. They’re just not _enough_ , and he knows Obito knows it. But maybe there’s something else he can do…

Soft and searching, Kakashi slants his mouth against Obito’s, convinced that at any moment the other man will reject the action and pull away. But instead he slides his fingers into Kakashi’s hair, gripping it and forcing Kakashi’s mouth harder against his own. Meeting calm insistence with fire. Emptiness with passion. And how can Kakashi possibly refuse? It feels too right to deny.

So he doesn’t.

He meets Obito’s fire with his own, tangling them together – tongue, breath, and limbs. Obito’s under his skin, in his very soul. He smells of the Konoha forest in summer, tastes like fresh spring water, sharp and sweet, and Kakashi loses himself in it. Obito could ask him for anything right now and he’d give it, willingly.

 _This_. This is what it feels like to be alive again.

***

It catches Obito well and truly off-guard at first. Of all the things to do right now – why _that_? Why kiss him?

For all that he’s unprepared though, it’s not unwanted. Not entirely anyway. There’s a confusing dichotomy of feelings at war within him – the desire to make Kakashi hurt for all the things he’s done (and far more he hasn’t), against the overwhelming need to protect and hold onto the one meaningful thing he has left.

In the end it’s a little of both that drives him to respond in kind. Motivated by an unfamiliar desperation he drags Kakashi closer, smugly satisfied at the way he folds himself flawlessly around Obito’s body, moulding them together like long-lost pieces of the same set. Kakashi repeats his name in a whisper between kisses that trail gradually lower, caressing his forehead, neck, and hands, greedy in their intensity; as though he wants to possess Obito, bind him to himself.

And Obito will never admit that maybe he likes that idea, just a little bit. That this might be about more than just control, or power, or seeing Kakashi bend to his will (although it is about that too). Already he finds he’s hard – aching to be touched. So when Kakashi falls to his knees, fingers gently tugging at the waist of Obito’s pants, eyes pleading, he doesn’t even think to resist – just settles a hand around the back of Kakashi’s neck and rides out the first wave pleasure with a muffled gasp, followed by another, and another.

Hard unyielding stone at his back contrasts with the slick hot pressure of Kakashi’s mouth as he slides up and down Obito’s length, hands wrapped neatly behind his ass. He’s breathing hard through his nose, trying to keep up with the impossible pace Obito is demanding. Dusky shadows cast strange lines across his features as he moves, giving the whole scene a kind of ethereal quality unique to this world of their own making.

It might look like an act of love; but Obito wants to punish Kakashi just as much as he wants to love him.

Mercilessly, he forces them together, ragged and hard, but Kakashi is his equal in every demand, working tongue and hands with a deft skill that leaves Obito moaning _his_ name, fingers pulling at tight knots of silver as he drives even deeper. But it’s not until Kakashi glances upward, face flushed and lips swollen, that Obito recognises the subtle shift in colour and intricate detail that marks the activation of the sharingan. Unwavering and steady, its twin stares back at him, a mirror image framed in soft silver lashes and ivory skin.

And for the briefest of seconds, Obito has the strange sensation that he’s looking back up at _himself_ , black hair wild and tousled, face contorted into a dark scowl. That there’s _something_ , small and tenuous – barely a flicker in the dark - resonating between him and Kakashi. The tiniest downhill trickle of chakra, and suddenly it’s back – his connection to the world, to _everything_.

But just as it happens Kakashi finds _exactly_ the right spot and Obito throws his head back with a cry, arching his hips forward as a shimmering cascade of sensation floods through him. Knees trembling, he braces his hands against Kakashi’s shoulders, secretly glad for his steady presence as he loses himself to what has to be, without a doubt, the best orgasm of his life. To think stupid Bakakashi is able to make him feel like this…

All too soon it’s over though, and Obito pushes Kakashi away, refusing to even look at him as he fixes his clothing.

‘Obito, I-’

‘Don’t,’ Obito says, tone harsh. Whatever just passed between them, he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Kakashi swallows and Obito can’t help but think about why, as a languid warmth settles into his bones. He still can’t understand why Kakashi would even do this for him. Regardless, it’s irrelevant save for one crucial fact - Obito knows now how to get out of this dimension.

Brusque and business-like he addresses Kakashi. ‘I can get us out of here.’

Dark eyes consider him, deep and unfathomable. Kakashi’s face might be a perfectly composed mask on the surface, but Obito’s worn that mask often enough himself to see right through it. Under everything, Kakashi’s hurting. He’s just far too good a shinobi to ever show it.

‘How?’ is all he says, voice perfectly even.

Obito ignores the sharp twist in his stomach. The traitorous part of him that wishes Kakashi would just do _something_ – yell, or fight, or plead with him not to go. Anything but stand there as calmly as he is.

‘Didn’t you feel it?’ he scoffs, the harsher for it. ‘We have to work together. I lend you my chakra and we activate Kamui at the same time.’

He offers up his hand, and Kakashi hesitates, staring at it like it might be a trap. ‘I don’t really know how to use Kamui,’ he admits, looking thoughtful. ‘I actually only got here by accident.’

Rolling his eyes, Obito gestures impatiently. ‘I’ll show you.’

It’s not that he actually wants to get away from Kakashi that badly. Because he doesn’t – more than he’d like to admit, even to himself. But he does have places to be, plans to execute, and a criminal organisation to run. None of which can wait on the whims of a learner space-time traveller.

Fingers slide across his own, gentle and uncertain. ‘Alright.’

Obito ignores the urge to firm up his grip, and instead begins transferring chakra between them. When Kakashi’s eye makes the transition from pinprick red to pinwheel black, he knows it’s time.

‘Concentrate,’ he instructs. ‘Visualise where you want to go, then reach out through the mangekyo and find the threads that connect to it.’

Kakashi’s brows crease. ‘How do I know I’ve got it right?’

‘You’ll just _feel_ it.’

Between the two of them it’s working, and well-practiced, Obito’s already caught hold of the familiar threads that lead back to Ame – rain, and the unique sense of despair that permeates the place.

‘But,’ says Kakashi, still frowning obliviously, ‘How do I know what we’re feeling is Konoha, not somewhere else?

Obito nearly smiles. _Cute_. Kakashi thinks he’s coming too. As if Obito’s enough of an idiot to materialise himself inside the middle of his old village and proclaim his missing-nin status to the world. It’s problematic enough to be letting Kakashi go with knowledge of his existence, although something tells him the guilt alone will keep him quiet. No need to make the situation any worse.

‘You’re the genius Bakakashi. Figure it out,’ he says.

Kakashi’s head snaps up, realisation of the betrayal written plainly across his face. Obito gives a small triumphant smile, then steps into the gaping void, re-materialising back in Ame alone.

***

A gap in the blind paints a shaft of moonlight across the shuriken-patterned comforter. Kakashi lies on his back in bed, head tilted slightly to view the small sliver of sky outside the window. Like most nights these days, he finds his mind drifting back to Obito, and their wonderful, unexpected meeting in Kamui several weeks ago.

As of yet, he hasn’t breathed a word of it to anyone, which goes against about every shinobi regulation and duty he can think of. But if Konoha finds out that Obito’s still alive, or worse, who he’s working for, then Kakashi will have to confront the prospect of losing his friend all over again.

And that’s not something he can face. Not after… 

Just thinking about their encounter sees his body flush with a needy heat. Tonight is obviously going to be one of _those_ nights. The ones where Kakashi has to bring himself relief before sleep will finally take him in its restful embrace. Slowly, he reaches a hand beneath the covers, whining softly as it brushes across overly sensitive skin.

But before he has the chance to do anything, a familiar chakra seeps slowly into the room, swirling from a newly formed vortex in the corner. Kakashi looks up, barely daring to hope. Could it really be?

A dark-haired figure steps out from the shadows, orange mask dangling limply from one hand.

‘Obito,’ Kakashi breathes, ‘What are you doing here?’

Expression almost shy, Obito approaches the bed. ‘I want…’ he whispers uncertainly, ‘I want…’

It’s like he can’t bring himself to say the words, but his fingers settle softly over Kakashi’s face, eyes gentle and searching, and the meaning is obvious. Heart leaping with joy, Kakashi tugs him down onto the bed, delighting at the way Obito presses into him, meeting eager soft lips with his own.

That night, the earth moves for them both.

In the morning, Obito asks if he can come back again next week.

‘You mean like a date?’ Kakashi asks, surprised but gratified.

‘No.’

‘Just casual sex then, on a regular basis?’ he teases.

Predictably, Obito blushes scarlet. ‘No!’

‘So definitely a date.’

Obito makes a grumpy face and Kakashi pulls him close and kisses him, unable to help a brilliant smile. Kami he’s missed this in his life. ‘I’ll make you dinner next time, if you like?’ he offers hopefully. ‘We could make an evening of it.’  

Pouting gloriously, Obito gives the tiniest of nods.

Somehow, Kakashi knows they’re going to be ok.

***

Obito enjoys their date nights - far more than he’d ever let on to Kakashi.

When they’re together, the world doesn’t feel like such a terrible place. However briefly, he’s able to forget all the ways they’ve failed each other, and Rin, and how much work there is left to do before he can put his plans in motion and set it all right.

And sure, maybe he’s been guilty of prioritising one thing over the other just a _little_ bit recently, but the Infinite Tsukuyomi is the future, whereas this is _now_. It’s hard to give up something he already has, for an indefinite promise of something that might be. Plus, he can’t help but feel that both he and Kakashi deserve a little happiness, after everything they’ve been through.

For that, the Infinite Tsukuyomi can wait. He’s not giving it up, just… delaying it maybe. On an indefinite basis. Because _fuck_ , the things Kakashi can do with his mouth in this reality are just _amazing_ …

Obito groans, arching into his touch, sinking trembling fingers deeply through Kakashi’s silvery mane.

Oh yes. For this, the dream can most certainly wait.


End file.
